DJ Aengel (Constantine)
Constantine
Directed by Francis Lawrence
Screenplay by Kevin Brodbin and Frank A. Cappelo
Based on a graphic novel by Jamie Delano and Garth Ennis
John Constantine is an occult detective and demon hunter trying to redeem his soul with good acts to avoid his fate of going to hell in the afterlife. Based on the Hellblazer series by Vertigo/DC, Constantine is not as faithful an adaptation as many close to the source material would have hoped but still succeeds in entertaining the masses with larger than life action, quality special effects and some decent acting. Constantine as a movie, for those uninitiated with the comic series, is often compared with The Matrix, Blade Runner and The Prophecy and indeed there are elements of all those in Constantine. In each case there is something more cerebral than the usual action flick normally provides. Unfortunately in Constantine the cerebral is more of an undercurrent hinting at depth but coming up shallow. The result is enough to get the job done but leaving you wanting more than the film delivers.
We’re introduced to John Constantine (Keanu Reeves) as he comes to the apartment of a possessed girl. He performs an exorcism to free the girl of the demon that is trying to use her body to break out of hell onto Earth. He’s not your average hero. He smokes and he curses. He saves people not for some sense of altruism but for the sake of his own soul. He’s trying to buy his way into heaven. Something is wrong, however, and although he gets the job done, he’s unsettled and asks his allies Father Hennessey (Pruitt Taylor Vince), Midnite (Djimon Hounsou), Beeman (Max Baker) and his assistant Chas Kramer (Shai LaBeouf) to help him investigate.
Angela Dodson (Rachel Weisz) is a Los Angeles detective investigating the apparent suicide of her mentally infirm twin—Isabel. When reviewing the tape of her sisters suicide, Angela hears her sister say John’s name. Believing there to be a connection, she reluctantly seeks his aid. Weisz’s acting is genuine and raises the bar for the whole movie. Unfortunately, with rare exception the rest of the cast doesn’t follow suit leaving the acting level inconsistent.
With a combination of gadgets, magic, allies, and cunning, John and Angela investigate Isabel’s death and the rising threat of Hell on Earth. John’s allies prove useful but much like there comic book counterparts usually pay for there assistance with their lives. In the background half breed angels and demons Balthazar (Gavin Rosdale) & Gabriel (Tilda Swinton) plot to influence John as he uncovers the truth of Isabel’s death.
The MacGuffin is the ever popular Spear of Destiny. The much overused relic is discovered and is slowly making its way to LA, like most apocalyptic relics tend to do, through the vessel of the silent Hispanic. The spear is intended to bring the son of Satan to Earth. In confronting the threat, John is ever aware of his deteriorating health and what that means for his own afterlife. With time running out on many fronts, John must solve the riddle of why Isabel died and save Angela, the Earth and his own soul from eternal damnation.
Visually, Constantine is a well balanced blend of live action, make-up, and special effects. The digital effects are well placed and not overused. The landscape of Hell is truly a unique wind-swept wasteland, a burning effigy of our own world. The demons aren’t your typical red-skinned monstrosities, but truly disfigured grotesqueness that only Hell could bear. Many of the effects are well used traditional make-up. Which add more to the reality of the film than the digital effects alone could have.
The biggest weakness of the film is the inconsistent acting. Rachel Weisz, Djimon Hounsou and even Shai LaBouf really raise the movie from the depths of comic movie Hell. Keanu doesn’t totally miss the mark either, but this is not the John Constantine of the source material, this is John Constantine re imagined as Keanu Reeves.
Constantine can be taken from a few different angles. It’s a good take on the conflicts of Heaven and Hell on Earth. The movie could be seen as a two hour anti-smoking propaganda piece disguised as an action film. Or even, as a comic book antihero action piece thankfully very different from the X-Men’s Wolverine, the lack of costumes in this comic book adaptation could see as insightful and sensible trying to paint a new path for the film genre. But what it is certainly not is a faithful adaptation of Hellblazer. If you can’t get past that your not going to like this movie.
The end credits say it all. The characters are based on DC/Vertigo Hellblazer Graphic Novels. “Based on” are the key words here. If you can get past that or have never read the source material there is a lot for you to enjoy about Constantine. I, for one, take it for what it is not for what it could have been.
Overall: 3
Review by DJ Aengel